Ammunition-hoisting apparatus



A. Ta DAWSON AND J. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOISTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4,1915.

Patented July 13, 1920.

INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ..ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON,.:OF.WESTMINSTER, LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OF

BARROW-IN-FURN-ESS, .ENGLAND, .ASS-IGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WEST- MINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

;App1 i cation filed June 4,

To. all whomit may concern:

.iBe it-known that we, Sir irln'innnzTnnvon DAWSON, knight and .JA-M-ES HORNE, both subjects of the Kingof GreatBritaimsresiding, respectively, at Vickers'House, Broadway, 'Westminster, in;- the county of London, England,.and Naval Construction WVorks, BarroW-in-Furness, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inor Relating to Ammunition-Hoisting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ammunition hoisting apparatus of the kind inwhich the projectile and the powder charges are carried in hoist cages from the shell-rooms and magazines to the working chamber where they are transferred toan upper or gun loading cage which carries theammunition to the gun.

According to this invention we employ in addition to the usual projec'tilehoist-cage an auxiliary projectile hoist cage which serves the purpose of carrying projectiles to the working chamber in the event of the usual hoist-cage becoming inoperative. The projectile tray of the said auxiliary hoist cage maybe pivoted to the latter and may be charged in the shell room when in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position, the tray being moved by handto a vertical or approximately vertical position prior to the ascent of the auxiliary hoist cage. Means may be provided whereby, as the said auxiliary cage enters the working chamber, the tray isautomatically moved to its horizontal or approximately horizontal position forenabling the shell to be-removed there from in the working chamber.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into efi'ect,we will describe the same more fully Withreference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an'elevation showing a constructional form of; the invention.

Fig. "2 is an enlarged view ofthe lower portion of Fig. 1.

'Fig. 3 is apart plan of Fig; 2-, and 'Fig. 4 is adiagra'mmatic sectional plan of Fig. 1 showing the position of the auxilia-ry hoist cage in relation to the usual cages.

A lifting rope or cable 1 is attached to Specification of Letters Patent.

AMMUNITION HOISTING APPARATUS.

Patented July 13,1920.

1915. Serial no. 32,250.

the auxiliary projectile hoist cage A at one of its endsand passes around a pulley 2, which is located above the upper ends of the guide rails B later described. The other end of this lifting rope or cable is connected .to a winding mechanism 3, by means of which the auxiliary projectile hoist cage A is raised and lowered. It is to be noted that the pulley 3 is located above the upper ends of the guide rails B to such an extent that the cage A will extend above the upper ends of the rails E to permit the proper pivotal movement of the tray B.

C is the working chamber and G is the trunk which isconnected to the working chamber and moves therewith during the training of the gun turret. This trunk is constructed to receive the usual or main projectile cages C C and the usual or main powder charge cages C C traveling on guide rails c, and in: addition is constructed to also receive the auxiliary projectile cage A which travels to and from the working chamber in a separate compartment G forming part of the trunk C. An auxiliary powder charge cage A mayalso be provided as shown in Fig. a.

A represents the auxiliary projectile hoist cage and A, A are the guide rails for this cage. B represents the projectile tray of the cage A.

In the example shown the tray 13 carries on each side thereof a pivot pin 6 connected to a linkB which is pivoted at b on, the lower part of the cage A. The tray isprovided in a position concentric with the pivot pins Z2, b with rollers Z2 b or their equivalent engaging with guide rails '13, B The forward part of the tray carries additional rollers 6 b for engaging with the said guide rails B B when the tray is swung to its vertical position as shownby chain lines in-Fig. 2. In order to enable the said additional rollers 6 b to engage with and become disengaged from the guide rails B B as required, the latter may be provided with movable sections B B which can be displaced into a position to permitthese rollers to come into alinement with the guide rails orto release the rollers. The said sections are connected to a hand lever B controlled bya spring 5 this hand lever when moved in an anticlockwise direction displacing the sections to the open position shown by chain lines in Fig. 2; the tray can then be moved from its vertical to its horizontal or receiving position. The sections are returned to theirclosed position by the spring b when the hand lever B is released. After a projectile has been placed on the tray and moved rearward until arrested by the rear end of the tray, the latter is rocked to its vertical position this movement displacing the sections 13*, I5 of the rails to the open position in anly suitable manner, for example by a cam 5 on the tray operatmg upon a part of the aforesaid spring controlled hand lever. \Vhen the rollers 6 b are in alinement with the rails, the said sections are returned to their closed position by the spring 6 It should be observed that when the tray is in its "ertical position it can only be moved to its receivin position by means of the said hand lever E. The downward movement of the tray is limited by the cooperation of the cam B with a stop I) on the cage.

The rails A, A for the cage are straight but the rails B B are curved at their upper ends so that as the cage enters the working chamber the tray is moved into an approximately horizontal position as shown by chain lines at the upper portion of Fig. 1, the tray being held in this Bosition by means of the aforesaid links B When the tray is in its receiving or horizontal position in the shell-room the cage is prevented from moving by means of spring controlled plungers B B (Fig. 3) engaging with holes in the guide rails A A of the cage, these plungers being moved to their disengaged position by means of the lugs b", b on the tray when it is swung to its vertical position.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In an ammunition hoisting apparatus, an auxiliary projectile cage additional to the usual hoist cage for lifting ammunition to the working chamber, said auxiliary cage being adapted to lift the ammunition while the latter is in a vertical position and to permit its assuming a horizontal position in the workin chamber, a trunk which is constructe to receive both the usual hoist cage and the. auxiliaryprojectile cage and in which these cages move during their travel to and from the working chamber, and means for raising and lowering the cage, which means extends to a point above the upper end of the hoist, whereby the ammunition will be free to move from its vertical to its horizontal position.

2. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, an auxiliary projectile cage additional to the usual hoist cage for lifting ammunition to the working chamber, said auxiliary cage serving to carry projectiles to the working chamber in the event of said hoist cage becoming inoperative, a projectile tray, a link pivoted to the tray and to the auxiliary ca e, rollers carried by said tray coaxially with the pivotal connection between the link and the tray, guide rails with which said rollers engage, and means carried by the tray some distance from said pivotal connection for engaging with said guide rails when the tray is raised to its vertical position prior to the ascent of the auxiliary cage.

3. In ammunition hoisting a paratus, an auxiliary projectile ca eadditlonal to the usual hoist cage for li ing ammunition to the working chamber, said auxiliary cage serving to carry projectiles to the working chamber in the event of said hoist cage becoming inoperative, a projectile tray, 9. link pivoted to the tray and to the auxiliary cage, rollers carried by said tray coaxially w1th the pivotal connection between the link and the tray, guide rails with which said rollers engage, and rollers carried by the tray some distance from said pivotal connection for engaging with said guide rails when the tray is raised to its vertical position prior to the ascent of the auxiliary cage.

4. In ammunition hoistin apparatus, an auxiliary projectile cage a ditional to the usual hoist cage for lifting ammunition to the working chamber, said auxiliary cage serving to carry projectiles to the working chamber in the event of said hoist cage becoming inoperative, a projectile tray. a link pivoted to the tray and to the auxiliary cage, rollers carried by said tray coaxially w1th the pivotal connection between the link and the tray, guide rails with which said rollers engage, rollers carried by the tray some distance from said pivotal connectlon for engaging with said guide rails when the tray is raised to its vertical position rior to the ascent of the auxiliary cage, an a movable section of said guide rails for enabling engagement and disengagement of the last mentioned rollers with and from the guide rails to occur.

. 5. In ammunition hoistin apparatus, an

auxiliary projectile cage a ditional to the usual hoist cage for lifting ammunition to the working chamber, said auxiliary cage serving to carry projectiles to the working chamber in the event of said hoist cage becoming ino erative, a projectile tray ivoted to sai auxiliary cage and adapted to be displaced to a vertical position rior to the raising of the auxiliary cage, an means for locking the cage in its lowermost position until the tray is displaced to its vertical position.

6. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, an auxiliary projectile cage additional to the usual hoist cage for lifting ammunition to the working chamber, said auxiliary cage chamber in the event of said hoist cage becoming inoperative, a guide rail for said auxiliary cage a projectile tray pivoted to said auxiliary cage and adapted to be displaced to a vertical position prior to the raising of the cage, a plunger carried by the auxlliary cage for engaging wlth the guide rail When the cage is in its lowermost position and means for automatieally disengaging said plunger as the tray reaches its Vertical position. 10

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. JAMES HORNE. 

